The Big Chill is not gone from Green Bay. The Big Thrill evaporated like a foggy breath in the overtime loss to the Giants.

The Quarterback, who wanted so badly to return to the Super Bowl, passed so badly at the end. “I’m disappointed that the last pass I threw in this game gave them the chance to win,” Favre said. His last memory of this season will be the last play of the NFC championship.

Ultimately, Favre was outplayed by The Other Brother. Eli’s certainly coming.

A crowd of 72,740 convened at Lambeau, Two-Below Field. The lights were off, and nobody was home anywhere else in Green Bay.

After the Packers had dodged a cannonball field goal on the last play of regulation, they got the ball to start overtime. On second down at the Green Bay 28, Favre faked a handoff to running back Ryan Grant, who delayed, then went straight up 5 yards and turned around, alone.

Instead, Favre fired, on an out pattern, toward his favorite receiver, Don Driver, who was not alone. Corey Webster intercepted at the Pack’s 43 and zipped 9 yards. Three plays, and the Giants won on a field goal.

“. . . the last pass I threw in this game . . .,” Favre said. In this game or this game? This particular game, or this game of football?

When asked if the cold-as-ice outcome would affect his choice to play or retire, Favre said: “I don’t know. . . . I probably will be quicker (with an announcement) than in the past. . . . I’m not going to let this game sway my decision.”

There was no joy in Green Bay and no “v” in Fare on Sunday night.

Forty years ago, on a similar climatic (weather) and climactic (drama) day, the city was joyous, and the quarterback was victorious.

Bart Starr, who was captain then and the honorary captain now, sneaked over left guard with 13 seconds left to give the Packers the right to go to the second Super Bowl.

Favre, who has come through so many times for the Packers over the years and this season, was through after the interception. They had no right in Super Bowl XLII.

He indicated that for the Packers and their Backers, “Everything had fallen into place, and “all that was left was to play the game.” They didn’t figure on the Giants. And the Packers fell out of grace.

The front-page headlines in the local newspaper Sunday concerned how all the flights out of Wisconsin to Phoenix on Super Bowl week were filled. (All three of them?) The Giants couldn’t have been pleased.

Especially these Giants who were much maligned earlier in the season before reeling off an NFL-record 10 consecutive victories . . . 10 on the road. “We’ve got one more on the road,” said coach Tom Coughlin, who was red-faced and warmhearted afterward. His quarterback, Eli Manning, threw no touchdown passes, but threw no interceptions. Favre had two of each. “We wasted a lot of opportunities,” he said.

The Packers sank lower than the temperature (minus-4 at the beginning of overtime) and the wind chill (minus-20, although who’s counting?).

For example, Favre flung his first interception in the fourth quarter (and his second on the second play of the overtime). R.W. McQuarters intercepted at the Giants’ 8-yard line and headed upfield. Grant, who had no success all evening as a runner, punched the ball away from McQuarters, and the Packers retrieved it at New York’s 19.

One pass and two Grant rushes produced zero net yardage, and the Packers were coerced into a field goal that tied the game at 20. A touchdown there, and Green Bay controls.

But, despite his 90-yard connection with Driver in the second quarter, Favre never took control. He had a measly 146 yards passing otherwise, and Grant, who had 201 yards rushing the week before, had only 29. Manning and the Giants had more plays (81-49), more yardage (380-264) and more oomph.

Most of America, outside of New York and New Jersey, planned to go to bed Sunday night dreaming about a Packers-Patriots Super Bowl, but barely could sleep after their night of the Living Dread. Don’t pity the Pats. They did their job, although not very efficiently. The Pack didn’t hold up its end.

So it’s New York and Boston. It’s actually Foxborough, Mass., vs. East Rutherford, N.J., but this is not a geography class; this is the Super Bowl.

New England: The perfect team in a pluperfect land.

New York: The imperfect team with an improbable run.

And the Packers, as the Chargers before them, were not cool in the cold. Especially Brett Favre.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.